


The Last Goodbye

by KeiKou9275



Series: My Light [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I know, I'm evil, Lots of Hurt, M/M, You'll Have to Read to Find Out - Freeform, did i mention there's a lot of emotional angst, lots of comfort, will lance survive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 14:56:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18501319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeiKou9275/pseuds/KeiKou9275
Summary: Kolivan learns of the battle for Earth and the fate of his Starlight. Be prepared for the Feels Ride of your lives. 😈





	The Last Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> This is the fifth installment of “My Light”, which takes place in the lull between the end of Season 7 and beginning of Season 8. 
> 
> P.S. Yes I know I’m evil, why do you think I chose the title. And thank you Avatar for creating the Na’vi languages which I conveniently turned into part of the Galra language.. tsmukan: [“ >tsmu.kan] P F n. brother (derived from tsmuk sibling), tsmuke: [” >tsmu.kE] P F n. sister (derived from tsmuk sibling), yawne: [“jaw.nE] P F adj. beloved

_Lance pushed Red to her limits, urging her to get the detonating mech off his homeworld before it was too late._ “It’s been an honor to fly with you all,” _Keith said through the coms, voice laced with exhaustion. He knew, just as Lance and the other Paladins did that they may not come back from this fight alive._ “Now give it everything you’ve got!”

_They screamed in exertion, working together to push the mech out into space as far away from the Earth as possible. They watched as it floated into the void, drifting farther and farther until a blast of light erupted from the mech, enveloping the Paladins while the shockwave knocked them senseless and plummeting towards Earth._

_Lance’s eyes grew heavy, Earth’s gravity pulling him and Red down with incredible speed. His thoughts focused on the one being he had missed most as they had traveled through space, the one being beside his family he wanted to protect most._ ‘Kolivan…’ _he thought, reaching up towards the sky as if he could touch his husband._

_Red roared in despair as they crashed into the Earth’s surface._

*************************************************************************************************************

“LANCE!!” Kolivan cried, jerking up from his bed in a panic. His chest heaved as he desperately gulped in oxygen, eyes wide in terror. He lifted his hand to the mark on his neck, wincing as it ached fiercely. _‘No, please no…’_ He thought desperately as he kicked off his bedsheets, sprinting out of his room and down the hallway towards the Olkari’s communications chamber.

He and Krolia had landed on Olkarion three phoebs ago, finding the surviving Blades on the planet including Thace, Ulaz, and Antok. It had taken two phoebs for Kolivan to recover fully from his imprisonment and torture but with help from his pack he had healed physically, though he was still a ways away from being mentally sound.

Knowing that he would see his Starlight again had helped him immensely with his recovery, Ryner promising their fastest ships once preparations were completed in a couple of movements. But now the feeling of dread and despair consumed Kolivan as he skidded into the communications chamber.

Fortunately, Ryner was present, speaking with some of her people when she noticed Kolivan quickly making his way towards her. “Kolivan, what is the matter?” She asked, her brows knitting in concern. Even when they had arrived on Olkarion bruised and battered Kolivan had attempted to maintain some of his poise and dignity, even on the verge of collapse. Now the look of absolute panic and terror sent a chill up her spine.

“Please,” he said quietly, his eyes never leaving the screen showing the area outside the planet. “Bring up Earth, quickly…” Ryner nodded, not bothering to ask why as she gave orders to pull up the Paladin’s home galaxy. Ever since Sendak and his Fire of Purification had surrounded Earth the Coalition had kept an eye on the situation from afar. They had wanted to go to the planet and free it but Sendak held more firepower in his armada than all of the Coalition combined, so they had observed, waiting for the right moment.

The image of Earth appeared, causing all present to gasp. “The Armada,” Ryner murmured in wonder. “It’s gone! How is this possible?!” Kolivan didn’t reply, his gaze fixed on the blue planet. “Open a hailing frequency,” he said, his voice still tight with dread. The Olkarion techs immediately went to work, opening a communications channel to the Earth.

It took a few doboshes for a reply to come through until a familiar face appeared on the screen. “This is Captain Takashi Shirogane of the IGF-Atlas, please identify yourself,” said the former Black Paladin, his stance tense. Ryner nodded, giving the authorization to open communication. “This is Ryner of Planet Olkari and Kolivan of the Blade of Marmora. It is good to hear your voice once more, Captain!”

Shiro visibly relaxed when he heard and recognized Ryner’s voice. “It’s good to hear from you too. You’ll have to excuse the precautions,” he said wearily, plopping down onto a seat in front of the screen. “The last few weeks have been… trying, to say the least.” Kolivan exchanged a glance with the leader of Olkari, feeling fear begin to gnaw at his soul.

“We were aware that Sendak had taken your planet hostage,” Kolivan said, his eyes meeting Shiro's. Something changed almost imperceptibly in the human’s eyes, becoming almost melancholy. “Please,” Kolivan said, almost begged. “What happened?” Shiro sat in silence for a moment, exhaustion painting his face before he began to speak.

He explained what had happened when Kolivan and Krolia had parted ways with Voltron, of their journey through space and their subsequent arrival to Earth. They had worked together with the remaining forces stationed at the Galaxy Garrison, that they learned that Sendak was building multiple Zaiforge cannons to obliterate the planet, and the battle to stop him that ensued.

When he told them that Sendak was dead there should have been joy and celebration at such auspicious news, but the look on Shiro’s face told them otherwise. “We were attacked,” Shiro murmured, his eyes taking on a faraway look as he remembered the battle. “By some kind of mech… it was stronger than any robeast we’ve fought before, and it had the ability to use the Komar.

“It took everything that Voltron and the Atlas had to bring it down, but it wasn’t enough. I… Those of us inside the Atlas couldn’t move, couldn’t contact Voltron but we saw them take that thing into space. For a moment there was nothing but blue sky, then a blinding flash of white light. When my vision cleared, I saw the Lions plummeting through the atmosphere, crashing hard.”

It took everything Kolivan had not to collapse there and then, his breath coming in short gasps at the news. Shiro continued to speak, his eyes meeting Kolivan’s. “We… we were able to recover everyone from the crash sites, but they’re in critical condition at the moment. Our doctors can’t say for sure when or if they’ll wake up.”

Kolivan could feel tears threatening to spill from his eyes. First, the universe had taken his Starlight from him for two deca-phoebs, had been imprisoned, tortured, and caused the deaths of countless Blades, reunited him with his mate only to part with him once more. Now mere quintants away from seeing Lance again and the universe was attempting to separate them once more.

 _‘No,’_ he thought fiercely, his claws digging into his palms until he felt blood pooling around his fingers. _‘No! I cannot, will not lose him again!’_ Ryner watched Kolivan carefully, nodding slightly as if she could read his thoughts. She turned back toward the screen. “I will contact the Coalition to gather our best medics and healers,” she said, causing both Shiro and Kolivan to jolt at her words.

“Our people will arrive within the next quintant. Please transmit a list of supplies that you and your people require. Anything that we can provide will be at your disposal” Shiro stood in shocked silence for a moment before his face crumpled in relief. “I… I don’t…” he choked out, his eyes shining with emotion. “‘Thank you’ cannot express my gratitude.”

Ryner smiled gently, her presence exuding love and kindness. “Voltron came to us in our time of need, anything that we offer will never repay the debt we owe to you and your fellow Paladins.” Shiro truly choked up then and could only nod. Ryner once again assured the Captain that the Coalition would arrive with aid soon, ending the transmission once details were sorted. She instructed her communications officers to contact every leader of the Coalition, informed them of the situation, and to gather whatever aid and supplies they could offer.

She turned to speak with Kolivan about immediate departure only to find him gone. She smiled to herself. _‘Love truly is remarkable,’_ she thought before turning back and finishing the remaining preparations.

*************************************************************************************************************

Krolia growled viciously, the pounding at her door rousing her from one of the few restful sleeps she’s had in a _long_ time. Ripping off her blankets she makes her way to the door on the fifth knock, nearly ripping the handle off the door itself. Krolia blinked in surprise when she only saw a dark wall in front of her until she looked up into Antok’s face. The large Galra was maskless, though his hood was pulled up to give him some semblance of privacy.

“What?” Krolia growled tiredly. Antok might have been a packmate, a brother in arms, and a dear friend but anyone who woke her in the middle of the night without a very good reason was going to get their head torn off. The giant didn’t flinch, his expression was grim. “Kolivan has received word from Earth,” he murmured, his eyes full of sympathy. “The Paladins were victorious but have been gravely injured in the process.

“Ships are being prepared to send aid. The Blade of Marmora will be departing within the varga.” Antok stayed where he was, watching Krolia’s expression shift from confusion to shock to fear and panic. She began to shake, reaching her arms out for some type of support which Antok was only too willing to provide, his arms reaching out and bringing her into his embrace.

Antok’s ears flicked slightly working to hear what Krolia was saying. “K-Keith,” she said quietly, voice shaking with dread. “Is h-he…?” Antok bent slightly, getting Krolia to meet his eyes. He would have knelt like when she was a cub but felt that would be an insult to her. “The Black Paladin was injured, possibly the worst out of the five,” he said, not wanting to sugarcoat the truth. “However, he is currently stable and the Coalition is sending healers and medics to assist in the Paladins recovery.

“Keith has his your stubbornness and will to live, I saw that during the Trials. He WILL recover, _tsmuke_.” Antok held her for a few more doboshes, breathing deeply to help calm her anxiety for the time being. She pushed back slightly when she was a little calmer, fear still present in her eyes but now hiding behind the determination to get to her cub.

“Give me a tick to gather my things, I don’t have much.” She said, moving quickly back into her room to pack what she had. Antok watched her from the doorway, his own bag of possessions in hand. As promised Krolia was finished packing in less than two doboshes, rushing out the door with the larger Galra following close behind.

They were among the first Blades to arrive in the hangar, the younger recruits making their way onto the Olkarion ships while the senior Blades supervised the proceedings. One of the Olkari technicians came forward, taking Antok and Krolia’s bags to be stowed on the ship. An alarm blared out, signaling that departure would commence in fifteen doboshes. The pair boarded the ship spotting Thace and Ulaz already seated. They sat across from the mated pair, the four Galra quiet in their thoughts.

Ulaz spoke first, his question directed to all present but primarily for Antok. “Has anyone spoken with Kolivan?” Surprisingly, it was Thace who answered his mate’s query. “I did. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so… terrified? I’m not sure if that’s the right word but it’s the only one I got. I asked him what happened, he told me about the Paladins and Sendak then said that we were sending aid to Earth and to get ready immediately.

“I woke Ulaz up, told him to start packing immediately when the announcement came on over the comms. Other than that, I know about as much as everyone here.”

A voice came on over the intercom. _“All passengers, please board immediately. Those aboard please strap into your seats, we will be departing in five dobashes.”_

The four followed instructions, Ulaz curling up against Thace, falling asleep immediately while Krolia stared out the window as they took off. Once in space Antok gently placed his hand on Krolia’s shoulder, causing her to turn around. “It’s going to take us twelve vargas to reach the planet,” he said softly. “Take this time to rest. We will wake you before we arrive.”

Krolia nodded reluctantly, resting her head against the bulkhead while Antok placed a blanket over her. Once she was asleep Antok undid his restraints and stood. Thace did not comment, already knowing where the second in command would be heading. He slid an arm around Ulaz, closing his eyes as he rested his head on top of his mate’s.

=========================================================================

Antok found Kolivan on the bridge overseeing the jump to hyperspace, so focused on the task at hand that he didn’t notice the larger Galra until he placed a hand on the Blade Master’s shoulder, causing Kolivan to jump slightly. Antok smirked behind his mask, shaking his head in disbelief. “I have not gotten the better of you since we were recruits,” he said softly. Kolivan let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache begin to form.

“What do you need, Antok?” he asked, trying not to snap at his closest friend. Worrying about Lance had caused him to be short with numerous people, he knew that but he didn’t want to snap at his brother-in-all-but-blood. Antok wrapped his tail around Kolivan’s forearm, turning him to face the large Galra. “You need rest, brother. I understand you are worried about your mate,” he said, holding up a hand to forestall Kolivan’s response.

“You know that Lance would not want you to run yourself ragged. If I remember correctly he was on your tail constantly if you overworked yourself. Before they left for Daibazaal he took me aside and made me promise to keep an eye on you until he returned. Until you are reunited with your mate once more, I will continue to fulfill my promise.”

They stood in silence for a long dobosh, waiting to see who would submit first. It was Kolivan who finally broke, his eyes filling with tears as he leaned into Antok’s chest as he attempted to contain his sobs. Antok held his elder brother as he ran his hand up and down Kolivan’s back. He asked no one in particular where Kolivan’s quarters were, thanking the speaker before guiding Kolivan off the bridge with instructions to the crew to contact Antok one varga before arrival.

Once in the hallway, Antok gently lifted Kolivan into his arms. Though he put on a strong front daily Antok knew Kolivan was still recovering physically and mentally from his captivity. It took daily reminders from the pack to get their brother to rest often, reminding him that his overall health was more important than saving face with recruits.

Antok reached Kolivan’s room without running into anyone else, slipping inside quietly as a ghost. Kolivan was asleep, tears still running down his fur as he gripped Antok’s suit. Antok’s heart broke at how young and vulnerable Kolivan looked. The Blade Master never spoke of his imprisonment but whatever had happened had changed him.

‘I will have to thank the Black Paladin for destroying the druid,’ he thought as he put Kolivan to bed. If not for Keith or the other Paladins his brother would still be that madman’s plaything, luring in Blade after Blade until the guilt would have killed Kolivan. Shaking his head at the thought Antok moved to leave when he felt a hand grip his arm.

Kolivan stared at him blearily as he fought off sleep. “Stay, please?” he whispered, sounding like the small cub that Antok remembered from so long ago. The large Galra only nodded before slipping under the covers, pulling his brother close to his chest so he could hear the rhythm of his heartbeat. Soon Kolivan’s breathing evened out, the grip on Antok’s clothes loosening as he drifted off to sleep with the larger Galra following close behind.

=========================================================================

As promised one of the crew notified Antok when they were an hour away from Earth, giving him enough time to rouse Kolivan and make him presentable for when they arrived at the planet. The two Galra made their way to the bridge joined by Thace, Ulaz, and Krolia who looked well-rested. When they were twenty doboshes from Earth they received a message from Shiro, asking them to hold their position near Earth’s moon while their identification was verified.

Krolia growled slightly at that, wanting to get to her son as soon as possible but Kolivan understood the need for such precautions. They waited for ten doboshes until an incredibly large cruiser slowly approached. “Please stand by for scanning,” Shiro said before a beam of light washed over them. Kolivan blinked to clear his vision, hearing a ping in the background as he did so.

“Kolivan your ship is cleared to land,” the captain said with a smile. “Please follow the landing coordinates that we are providing you. I’ll meet at the landing site, and welcome to Earth.” Kolivan nodded, giving the order to enter the Earths atmosphere. The Blade Master always disliked landing on planets, the amount of shaking seemed highly unnecessary.

Once the rattling he issued orders to the crew and the Blade of Marmora to begin unloading supplies before turning to his pack. “All of you are with me,” he said as he began walking towards cargo hold. “Ulaz, do you have all of your necessary medical supplies?” Ulaz hummed in confirmation, holding up his medical bag.

Kolivan nodded in approval, making his way down the ramp towards the welcoming party. He became acutely aware of the amount of firepower present but he reminded himself that the humans had just escaped two deca-phoebs under tyrannical rule and enslavement, they would fight and die to prevent that from happening again.

Shiro walked toward them quickly, his flesh and blood hand extended to give Kolivan a proper Galra greeting. “Thank you again for coming,” he said as they gripped forearms, following the practice with the other senior Blade members before gesturing to the other humans. “This is Commander Samuel Holt and Commander Iverson of the Galaxy Garrison and IGF - Atlas.”

Iverson reached out hesitantly when Kolivan offered his arm, keeping the greeting short and swift while Sam had no reservations, which was surprising considering what he had been put through as an Empire captive. Once introductions were concluded Shiro led the pack towards a large building.

“This is our medical ward,” Sam explained as they walked through the doors. “All injured personnel, including the Paladins, are treated. Though our technology has advanced tremendously there are some injuries that we are having trouble treating…” Ulaz stepped forward, hand falling to the medical kit by his side. “What are the Paladin’s current conditions?” he asked, eyes fixed on Sam though the answer surprisingly came from Iverson.

“The Blue Paladin, Allura I believe?” he turned to Shiro for confirmation, continuing after he received a nod. “She was the first to wake up after retrieval and the quickest to recover from her injuries.” The Blade’s CMO nodded at the information. “Not too surprising, Altean’s were renowned for their physical recovery. I’ll check on her last since her condition is the most stable.”

Iverson nodded, slowly taking them down the corridors. “The Yellow and Green Paladins are both awake and alert, though Paladin Garrett slammed his head against the console of his Lion. Paladin Holt was extremely lucky and walked away with only a few scratches and bruises.

“The Black Paladin has been unconscious since we pulled him from the crash site. Head trauma, broken wrist, multiple lacerations, and internal bleeding but he’s been downgraded from critical to serious for the time being.” Krolia stopped walking for a moment when she heard about Keith, leaning against one of the walls as she attempted to smother a sob of relief.

Thace and Ulaz went to her, rumbling comforting noises to her as Thace held her while Ulaz rubbed her back. Once she was calm, they continued walking, none of the humans mentioning the incident. Shiro began speaking softly, his voice tight with concern. “Lance’s injuries are the worst out of the five,” he said, turning to face Kolivan, his eyes full of sympathy.

“I was the first on the scene since the Atlas was the closest to his crash site. I… I don’t know how he survived. Head trauma, burns, broken leg, and collarbone, three fractured ribs, glass lacerations, internal bleeding… Our doctors have done everything possible for him but his condition is still critical…”

Kolivan felt as if the air had been knocked from his breath as Shiro listed all of his Starlight’s injuries. No one could survive that without assistance from a medical pod, which wouldn’t arrive until the next convoy of relief ships in three quintants time. They were approaching a door, a sign stating “CRITICAL CARE PATIENT” glowing red above it.

When the door slid open Kolivan made a pained noise deep in his chest as if he had been stabbed. Lance lay prone on the bed, eyes closed and unmoving as monitors beeped around him, his body swathed in bandages that barely any skin was visible. The Blade Master shakily made his way to the seat at the side of the bed, sitting heavily. He sat for a moment, only staring until he reached out to clasp Lance’s small hand in his own large one.

Kolivan wept openly, uncaring who saw him in this moment of weakness. He had been stoic and strong for thousands of deca-phoebs, the universe could allow him this one moment. Antok moved to stand next to him, placing a large hand on his brother’s shaking shoulders. Ulaz made his way into the room as well, sitting carefully on Lance’s bed as he began his examination.

Ulaz confirmed what Kolivan had suspected; Lance’s injuries were severe and would require a healing pod to make a full recovery. Thace sent a transmission to their allies in the coalition explaining the dire situation and that a pod was required immediately. Ryner promised they would provide a healing pod as quickly as they could manage but it would take at least a quintant for it to arrive.

With nothing else that could be done for Lance Krolia made her way into the hallway, asking the humans to direct her to Keith’s room. Shiro offered to personally escort the Galra to her son, but before doing so he faced Kolivan once more. “Lance’s family is staying close by,” he said quietly. “I’ll have someone contact them to let them know that he has visitors.”

Antok nodded when Kolivan didn’t respond, taking one of the seats next to the leader. Ulaz and Thace made their way out into the hall as well, the door shutting softly behind them. Kolivan lifted Lance’s hand to his lips, whispering prayers to the Ancients and to any other deity to bring his Starlight back to him.

Kolivan didn’t leave his mate’s side for the rest of the quintant. The McClains came to visit their son, startled at first to see that the visitors Captain Shirogane had phoned them about were giant Galra but once Antok had explained who they were and what their organization did they relaxed, if only slightly.

The two youngest, still only just cubs really, cautiously approached the bed where their uncle was resting. _‘Sofía and Gael,’_ Kolivan remembered, watching Lance’s niece climb up next to her uncle while his nephew stood by in case his sister needed assistance. Kolivan smiled slightly as he watched, remembering the stories his Starlight told him of his large family, and of the two youngest.

He blinked in surprise when he noticed the two cubs watching him. Before he could say anything Sofía asked: “Are you tío’s boyfriend?” The women in the room gasped in shock, quickly telling the little girl that she was being rude in Spanish. Kolivan smiled at Sofía. “Your tío and I are mates, little one. That means we are, hmm, what is the translation Antok?”

“Married, I think,” Antok said, catching Gael watching his tail with interest. Sofía clapped her hands together in excitement, the smile wide on her face. “That means you’re tío gatito!” Everything froze, the human adults unsure how the Galra would react to being called ‘Uncle Kitty’. They had nothing to worry about as Kolivan laughed loud and long, shocking Antok slightly since he had never heard his brother do anything more than a chuckle.

Minding his claws, Kolivan carefully picked Sofía up under the arms and placing her on his lap. “That’s right, little one. You can call me tío gatito if you wish or Tío Kolivan.” The little girl nodded, reaching up to play with Kolivan’s braid. Veronica spoke up, quirking an eyebrow at the imposing Galra. “You’re not mad about being dubbed ‘Uncle Kitty’?” she asked.

Kolivan shook his head carefully so he didn’t dislodge the braid from Sofía’s hands. “Lance prepared me for it, said that once I met his niece and nephew one of them was going to end up calling me tío gatito sooner or later.” He smiled sadly at the memory, eyes falling on his still mate. “It looks like he was right.”

He and the McClains talked for a long time after that, about how he had met Lance and the other Paladins, how he had asked Lance to court him and Lance had accepted, the numerous times his Starlight had saved his life and the amount of joy and light he had brought into Kolivan’s life. They talked long into the night until Sofía fell asleep in his arms while Gael slept holding Antok’s tail in a death grip.

The McClain’s and Antok filed out of the room, each one bidding Kolivan and Lance goodnight. Kolivan had explained that Lance would be going into a healing pod the next day and would begin recovering. Once everyone had left for the evening Kolivan stipped out of his outer layer of armor until he wore only his undersuit before climbing in next to Lance.

Kolivan pulled his Starlight into his arms carefully, minding the wires and IV as he did so. He rested his cheek on top of Lance’s head, breathing in the residual scent from his mate’s shampoo and conditioner. “Goodnight, yanwe,” he whispered, his eyes sliding shut as he drifted off into a light sleep.

=========================================================================

_Darkness surrounded Kolivan once more. He was suspended once again in the cave of Macidus, the mad druid’s cackles echoing around him. He struggled to free himself, to escape Macidus when his captor appeared in front of him, holding a struggling Lance tightly. His mate looked so frightened, tears running down his face as the druid brought Kolivan’s blade to his unprotected neck._

_Kolivan thrashed and roared, tried to break free of his bonds as he watched the druid slit his Starlight’s throat but it all suddenly faded away. In these nightmares, Kolivan was always forced to watch as Lance’s blood was spilled, the life fading quickly from those brilliant sapphire eyes as Lance dropped to the cave floor. But now the darkness receded, replaced by a beach and the waters of the ocean as the gently lapped around his feet._

_He felt a pair of lithe arms wrap around his torso, a calming presence surrounding him like water._ ‘Starlight,’ _his mind whispered as he allowed the feeling of serenity to encompass him._

Kolivan slowly opened his eyes to dawn’s first light seeping through the window. For the first time in phoebs, he felt well-rested and calm. He breathed in slowly, freezing slightly when he felt a hand weakly petting his head. He lifted his head slowly, his golden eyes meeting tired but open blue ones. Lance smiled, his hand sliding from the top of Kolivan’s head to cup his cheek, his thumb rubbing the scar there gently.

“Lance,” the Blade Master whispered in shock, afraid that this would once again be a dream he would have to wake up from. Sensing Kolivan’s fear, Lance pulled him in for a light kiss on the corner of the Galra’s lips. “Good to see you… tío gatito,” he rasped, humor glowing in his eyes. Kolivan laughed wetly, tears running down his face as he gently kissed his mate before fetching him a glass of water.

=========================================================================

It took Lance two quintants in the pod before he emerged fully recovered, though the human doctors still wanted him to rest for a few days to be sure that all his wounds were well and truly healed. The McClain’s stayed close by now that their boy was healed, only letting him out of their sight when they needed to grab food or sleep.

It was on one of these outings that Kolivan and Lance finally had a moment to themselves, both holding the other and enjoying the feeling of being together once more. Lance sighed slightly, nuzzling to get closer to his husband. “What is the matter, Starlight?” Kolivan murmured as he scritched Lance’s scalp.

The Paladin sighed again, turning his face up to Kolivan’s. “Now that everyone’s recovering we’re going to have to go our separate ways again,” he said sadly though his gaze was resolute. He knew that this was the life they had chosen, and they couldn’t walk away from it now. Kolivan stared in confusion for a moment. “Lance,” he said slowly, cupping his mate’s cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, not without you at least.”

“What…?” Lance said, now the confused one. Kolivan leaned forward so their foreheads touched, a small smile gracing his lips. “I’ve nearly lost you more times than I can count Lance, and I cannot bear the thought of parting with you again. The Blade of Marmora will be accompanying the Paladins and the Atlas into space. There will be no more farewells, yanwe.”

Kolivan gently licked the tears streaming down Lance's face before he was pulled into a kiss by his mate. The war was far from over with more battles to be fought and won. But knowing that his Starlight would be by his side made it bearable. Kolivan vowed that the last time they had parted would be the last time they would say goodbye.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you really think I'd kill Lance off and make Kolivan sad?
> 
> I've got one more chapter planned here, so get ready for it. BTW, it's going to be NSFW.


End file.
